Our Official Xmas Cookie

Chocolate peppermint cookies

Cookies

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Glaze

¾ cup powdered sugar

2 drops mint extract, or more to taste

3½ teaspoons half-and-half or milk

Chopped mint candy, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cookies, in a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a mixer, beat butter with the sugars until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla. On low speed, mix in the flour mixture a little at a time. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.

On an ungreased baking sheet, drop teaspoons of the batter about 2 inches apart. Bake until just cracked on top, about 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Flatten the cookies slightly with a spatula after removing from oven. Cool completely.

To make the glaze, in a small bowl, mix together the sugar, mint extract and milk until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny bit of the corner. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies. Let cookies stand until set, about 10--20 minutes.

If desired, before glaze sets, sprinkle with chopped mint candy.